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356 recipes

Quinotos en almíbar (Argentine kumquats in syrup)

In Buenos Aires and the river provinces of the Litoral, kumquat trees ripen in the middle of winter, between June and August, and the fruit goes straight into jars of syrup. Grandmothers' pantries held quinotos for the whole year, brought out for birthdays and long Sunday lunches. Each little fruit turns glossy orange and translucent, with a soft, bittersweet skin and a sharp, juicy centre. Spoon them over vanilla ice cream, serve them with a slice of fresh cheese in the style of postre vigilante, or eat them straight from the jar. Many bar menus offer them steeped in spirits; this version keeps only the syrup. Naturally egg-free, the quinotos rely on sugar syrup to preserve them, while pectin from the peel gives the syrup a light, jammy body. Chef's tip: blanch the fruit three times from cold water; the common mistake is skipping this, which leaves the skins tough and bitter.

120 minArgentinianDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Turrón de maníPeanut nougat

On an Argentine Christmas Eve, after midnight toasts, the 'mesa dulce' appears with pan dulce, garrapiñadas and turrón de maní: a chewy white nougat of honey, sugar, whipped egg white and roasted peanuts, often set between two sheets of rice paper. Families make it in the days before Nochebuena. The egg white is cooked by the hot syrup. It is gluten free if you use gluten-free wafer paper or none. Chef's tip: work fast once the syrup is in, as the nougat stiffens as it cools and gets hard to spread.

60 minArgentinianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Helado de dulce de leche (Buenos Aires dulce de leche ice cream)

Dulce de leche is the flavour Buenos Aires heladerías are judged by, and on a summer night the queues at neighbourhood ice-cream shops stretch out onto the pavement well after dinner. Locals order it plain, with a ripple of extra dulce de leche (dulce de leche granizado adds chocolate flakes), often by the kilo to take home. It is dense, chewy and deeply caramel. This home version is egg-free with no custard: a little cornflour cooked into the milk thickens it the way yolks would, and the dulce de leche itself is milk and sugar cooked down, its sugar and milk solids keeping crystals tiny so it stays smooth and scoopable. Churn it, or still-freeze and stir it every 45 minutes. Chef's tip: chill the extra dulce de leche before rippling it in; the common mistake is folding in a warm one, which melts into the ice cream instead of leaving ribbons.

295 minArgentinianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Salpicón de aveCold chicken salad

Salpicón de ave is the cold supper of Argentine summers, made in Buenos Aires flats and on estancias alike when it is too hot to cook much, and a favourite way to use the chicken from a puchero or Sunday roast. Shredded chicken is mixed with diced pepper, tomato, spring onion, sweetcorn and boiled egg, bound with mayonnaise sharpened with lemon and mustard, and served chilled with crusty bread or on lettuce. The common mistake is dressing it while the chicken is still hot, which melts the mayonnaise into an oily puddle; let everything cool first. Chef's tip: dress the chicken with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt before the mayonnaise goes in, so the meat itself is seasoned, not just its coating.

30 minArgentinianSaladsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tarta de coco y dulce de lecheCoconut and dulce de leche tart

Ask Argentinians for their favourite tart at a family birthday and this one often wins: a crisp shortcrust spread thickly with dulce de leche, then covered with a coconut, sugar and egg topping that bakes into a golden, chewy crust. Bakeries from Córdoba to Mar del Plata sell it by the slice for the merienda with mate or a café con leche. It is very sweet, so the slices are thin, and it is a good keeper for a few days. Ordinary spreading dulce de leche is the mistake: it runs and bubbles out at the edges. Use the thicker pastry-style kind, sold in Argentina as 'repostero'. Chef's tip: chill the case with the dulce de leche spread on it for 15 minutes before adding the coconut, so the two layers stay distinct.

75 minArgentinianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bizcochos de CayambeTwice-baked butter biscuits

Drive north from Quito towards the snow-capped Cayambe volcano and the roadside is lined with bakeries selling paper bags of bizcochos, small finger-shaped biscuits baked twice until they shatter. Families stop there on weekend trips and order them with a slab of soft, salty queso de hoja, a cup of hot chocolate and a spoonful of dulce de leche (manjar) for spreading. The dough is a lightly yeasted butter dough, rolled into thin sticks, baked once until pale gold and then dried slowly until crisp right through, with a flaky, crumbly bite. A sealed jar keeps them for weeks. Chef's tip: the second bake is about drying, not browning, so keep the oven low; a hot second bake is the usual mistake and leaves them dark outside and chewy inside.

130 minAndeanBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Torta de ricotaLemon ricotta tart

Italian families brought ricotta tarts to Buenos Aires and Rosario, and torta de ricota is now as Argentinian as mate: every panadería has one in the window, with a lattice of sweet, crumbly masa frola over a pale, lemon-scented ricotta filling. It is cut into wedges for the merienda, the late-afternoon snack, or for a birthday where nobody wants a heavy cake. The texture is light and slightly grainy rather than silky, and the pastry tastes of butter and vanilla. Wet ricotta is the biggest risk, giving a weeping, soggy tart. Chef's tip: drain the ricotta overnight in the fridge in a sieve lined with a cloth, and add a few raisins only if they have been soaked, or they draw moisture from the filling.

90 minArgentinianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Fideos con mantecaButtered noodles with cheese

Ask anyone from Buenos Aires to Córdoba what they ate when they came home late or felt poorly as a child, and the answer is often fideos con manteca: short pasta tossed with butter and a snowfall of grated queso rallado. It is the plainest dish in the Argentine home kitchen and the one people cook for themselves on a tired weeknight. The mistake that ruins it is draining the pasta bone-dry and adding cold cheese to a hot empty pan, which leaves greasy strands and clumps; a splash of cooking water makes a light, creamy coating instead. Argentine reggianito and Parmesan are made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese if needed. Chef's tip: grate the cheese very finely, like dust, so it melts on contact.

15 minArgentinianPasta & Noodles
by KrazyBadal 0 views

GurundiCrunchy coconut biscuit bars

Walk past a school gate or a motor park in Kano, Kaduna or Jos and you will hear hawkers calling out gurundi, the hard coconut biscuit bars sold in little plastic bags. They are toasty, sweet and very crunchy, packed with coconut and a hint of nutmeg, and children buy them with pocket money to eat on the walk home. At home they go into lunch boxes or out with a cup of tea or a cold bottle of zobo. Fresh grated coconut is traditional; desiccated coconut makes it simple anywhere. Chef's tip: once the bars are golden, turn off the oven and leave them inside with the door ajar for 15 minutes to dry right through; taking them out too soon is the usual mistake, and they go soft by the next day.

52 minNigerianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

BizcochueloPlain whisked sponge cake

Nearly every Argentine birthday torta starts life as a bizcochuelo: a tall, plain sponge of eggs, sugar, flour and cornflour, with no butter and no baking powder, lifted only by long whisking. Grandmothers bake it on Sunday to split into three and fill with dulce de leche and whipped cream, or eat it plain in the afternoon with mate. The crumb is fine, dry-ish and airy, made to soak up syrup. Opening the oven in the first 20 minutes is the classic way to flatten it, so leave the door shut. Chef's tip: whisk until the mixture reaches 'punto letra', thick enough that a ribbon drawn on the surface holds its shape for a few seconds; that takes a good 8–10 minutes with an electric mixer, and warm eggs get there faster.

55 minArgentinianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nigerian fruit cake

No Lagos wedding or Christmas table feels complete without a dark, heavy fruit cake, often stacked in tiers and covered in icing, with slices wrapped in napkins for guests to take home. The crumb is dense and moist, coloured almost black with browning (burnt-sugar caramel), and packed with raisins, currants and cherries warmed by nutmeg and mixed spice. Many families soak the fruit for weeks in brandy, stout or red wine; this version plumps it in orange juice instead, with a spirit given only as an option. Serve thin slices with tea, or ice it for a celebration. Bake it hot and fast and you get the classic failure: a cracked, burnt crust over a raw, sunken middle, so keep the oven low. Chef's tip: wrap a double band of brown paper around the outside of the tin and tie it with string; it slows the edges so the middle catches up.

150 minNigerianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nigerian peppered prawns

Lagos party caterers serve peppered prawns on cocktail sticks beside the peppered chicken, and at beach spots near Lekki they come in a hot pan with chilled drinks. Big prawns are seasoned, seared fast, then tossed with a blended scotch-bonnet sauce and crunchy strips of onion and pepper, so they are sweet, juicy and properly hot. Buy prawns kept cold, and throw away any that smell of ammonia or feel slimy. The mistake is cooking them too long in the sauce until they curl tight and go rubbery; sear until just pink, then toss for a minute only. Chef's tip: leave the tails on; they give guests a handle and stop the prawns curling quite so much.

25 minNigerianFishGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nigerian doughnuts

Long before chain doughnut shops reached Abuja, Nigerian bakeries and roadside hawkers in Onitsha, Enugu and Lagos sold these plump, unfilled rings and rounds, wrapped in paper and still warm, and mothers fried them by the trayful for birthday parties. The dough is enriched with milk, egg and butter and scented with nutmeg, so the crumb is soft and bready rather than cakey, and each one is rolled in sugar while hot. Contains wheat, milk and egg. A common mistake is frying in oil that is too hot: the outside goes dark brown while the centre stays doughy, so keep it at 170 °C and test the first one. Chef's tip: after cutting, let the rounds rise a second time on floured baking paper, then lift each one on its square of paper into the oil so it keeps its puffy shape.

120 minNigerianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Baba dudu

Yoruba children of the 70s and 80s remember baba dudu, "the black one", bought for a coin from sweet sellers outside school gates in Ibadan and Abeokuta: sugar and butter cooked until almost black, then pulled and cut into small chewy pieces that taste of toffee and burnt caramel. It is easy to make at home, but hot sugar burns badly, so keep children away from the stove. The candy is a choking risk for small children and isn't suitable for under-1s. The mistake is taking it off the heat too early: pale caramel stays soft and sticky, so wait until it is the colour of strong tea and a drop sets firm in cold water. Chef's tip: oil your scissors and cut the strip while it is warm and pliable; once cold it shatters.

30 minNigerianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Yamarita

Small-chops trays at Lagos weddings and naming ceremonies always carry a few golden batons of yamarita beside the puff-puff and samosas, and home cooks make it on Saturday mornings from the end of a tuber of white puna yam. The yam is boiled just tender, coated in seasoned flour and a beaten egg spiked with scotch bonnet and onion, then fried so the outside puffs into a thin, savoury crust over a fluffy, starchy centre. Serve it hot with a dip of fried pepper sauce or ketchup for children. Contains egg and wheat. The mistake to avoid is boiling the yam soft: overcooked sticks break in the batter and soak up oil, so stop when a knife slides in with a little resistance. Chef's tip: let the boiled sticks steam dry on a rack for five minutes before flouring; a dry surface is what makes the egg cling.

40 minNigerianSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Awara

Evening hawkers in Kano, Zaria and Kaduna fry awara in wide pans of oil and sell it in paper with a sprinkle of yaji, the peanut-chilli suya spice: little cubes of homemade soybean curd that puff and turn golden outside and stay soft and tofu-like inside. It came to the North with soybean farming and is now a cheap, high-protein street snack, especially after maghrib prayers. Contains soy and peanut (in the yaji). The mistake is skipping the long boil: raw soy milk must simmer for a good 15 minutes to be digestible and taste sweet, not beany. Chef's tip: press the curd under a heavy pan for at least 20 minutes; firm awara cuts cleanly and doesn't spit in the oil.

560 minNigerianSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Donkwa

Children in Kano and Sokoto buy donkwa from trays at the market gate, and in Yoruba towns it is sold as a sweet-hot snack on the walk home from school: firm little balls of toasted corn flour pounded with roasted groundnuts, sugar and a pinch of dried pepper, bound by the nuts' own oil. They are crumbly, nutty and gently spicy. Contains peanut. The common mistake is under-toasting the corn: raw corn flour tastes chalky and floury, so keep stirring until it is pale biscuit-coloured and smells like popcorn. Chef's tip: if the mixture won't hold, add the oil drop by drop and squeeze each ball hard in your fist before rolling it smooth.

30 minNigerianSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Shuku shuku

In old Lagos bakeries and in Yoruba homes before Christmas and Eid, shuku shuku are rolled by the tray: grated coconut and sugar bound with egg yolks and a little flour, rolled in more flour and baked until the outside is golden and crunchy and the middle stays chewy and sweet. Children snack on them after school and they keep well in a tin for visitors. Contains egg, coconut and wheat. The mistake is baking them on a high heat so they colour before the centre sets; a moderate oven gives an even, toasty crust. Chef's tip: freshly grated coconut gives the moistest balls, but if you use desiccated, soak it in 4 tablespoons of warm milk or water for 10 minutes first.

40 minNigerianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nigerian peppered chicken

No Nigerian party is complete without a tray of peppered chicken, or peppered turkey at Christmas, passed round at weddings in Port Harcourt and Lagos and sold in packs at Sunday small-chops stalls. The pieces are first boiled in an onion, thyme and curry stock, then fried until the skin crackles, and finally tossed in a glossy, fiery sauce of blended scotch bonnet, red pepper and onion. Expect heat, a little sweetness and plenty of onion. The usual mistake is skipping the boil and frying raw chicken: the outside burns before the bone is cooked. Boil first, fry hot, and check the thickest piece reaches 74 °C. Turkey wings or drumsticks work the same way with 15 minutes more boiling. Chef's tip: keep the stock from the boil and splash a ladleful into the pepper sauce; it carries the seasoning into every crevice.

75 minNigerianChickenGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sweet potato pottage

Yam pottage (asaro) is the famous one, but in homes from Ogun to Benue the same one-pot method is used for sweet potatoes when they are cheap in the market. Chunks of white or orange sweet potato are simmered in red palm oil with onion and blended pepper until some pieces collapse into a thick, glossy sauce and others hold their shape, then a handful of greens goes in at the end. It is a filling breakfast or light lunch, sweet, peppery and soft. Vegan as written; many cooks add crayfish. The common mistake is stirring hard from the start, which turns everything to mush; leave it alone until the last few minutes. Chef's tip: mix a white-fleshed and an orange sweet potato; the white one gives body and the orange one sweetness and colour.

40 minNigerianBreakfast & BrunchVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nigerian egg roll

Sold from glass cases in Lagos bus parks and school tuck shops, and packed for long road trips to the village at Christmas, the egg roll is a whole hard-boiled egg hidden inside a thick, slightly sweet fried dough, a cousin of the Scotch egg that needs no meat. Bite through the crisp, golden shell to a soft bready layer and then the egg. Contains egg, wheat and milk. The mistake most people make is frying too hot and too fast, which browns the dough before the inner layer cooks; fry gently at 160 °C so the heat reaches the middle. Chef's tip: roll each boiled egg in a little flour before wrapping it, or the dough slips off the smooth white and leaves a gap.

65 minNigerianSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nigerian salad

At owambe parties in Lagos and Ibadan, and on Christmas and Sallah tables right across the country, a big glass bowl of Nigerian salad sits next to the jollof and fried rice, piled in neat stripes of shredded lettuce, cabbage, carrot, sweetcorn, baked beans and sliced egg, then smothered in creamy salad cream. It is cool, crunchy and slightly sweet, the thing everyone reaches for between spoonfuls of peppery rice and chicken. Salad cream contains egg and mustard, so mention it to anyone with allergies. The common mistake is dressing it hours ahead: the cabbage and lettuce weep and the bowl turns watery, so layer it ahead but pour the dressing on just before serving. Many party versions add ham or corned beef; this one keeps it vegetarian. Chef's tip: soak the shredded lettuce and cabbage in iced water for ten minutes and spin them completely dry; they stay squeaky-crisp all evening.

35 minNigerianSalads
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nigerian coconut rice

On Sundays in Lagos and at parties along the coast, coconut rice is the gentler cousin of jollof: long-grain rice cooked in fresh coconut milk with a blended pepper base, thyme, curry and a spoonful of ground crayfish, so it comes out creamy-orange, fragrant and lightly smoky-savoury. Serve it with fried plantain, peppered chicken or a fish stew. Crayfish is dried shellfish, so avoid it with a shellfish allergy. The mistake to avoid is adding all the coconut milk and water at the start and stirring often: the starch breaks and the rice turns porridgey. Wash the rice well, measure the liquid, cover tightly and leave it alone. Chef's tip: if you can, grate one fresh coconut and squeeze it with warm water twice; the first thick milk goes in at the end for a richer finish.

60 minNigerianRice & GrainsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ose oji

In Igbo homes from Enugu to Owerri a guest is welcomed with kola nut, and the kola is never served alone: beside it sits a saucer of ose oji, peanut butter mashed with ground dried pepper and a little salt, sometimes with uda or ginger. Elders break the kola, pray, and everyone dips. It is equally good with crunchy garden eggs (small white African aubergines) or cucumber. Contains peanut. Kola nut is a strong caffeine stimulant, so it is for adults only, not for children or pregnant women; serve the garden eggs to everyone else. The mistake is making the paste runny with water: it should be thick enough to cling to a slice without dripping, so loosen with oil instead. Chef's tip: toast the dried pepper in a dry pan for 30 seconds before grinding; the smoky heat is what makes ose oji taste right.

10 minNigerianChutneys & DipsVeganGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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